Jim Harbaugh responds to criticism over Chargers ‘wasting’ 5th overall pick on OT Joe Alt: 'Offensive linemen we look at as weapons'

Offensive linemen we look at as weapons. That group, when we talk about attacking on offense...Offensive line is the tip of the spear. Jim Harbaugh said

The Los Angeles Chargers are in dire need of wide receivers, which is why the common-sensical move would have been to pick a player to fill that position. However, as Harbaugh pointed out, in his playbook, he views offensive linemen to be weapons as well. So, the fans who expected the Chargers to pick a weapon should not be disappointed because that is exactly what they did.

Jim Harbaugh is happy with the Los Angeles Chargers’ first-round pick 

Joe Alt will further reinforce the Chargers’ offensive line and enable Justin Herbert to stay protected and get the ball out of his hands at the right timing. The Notre Dame OT is the son of former Kansas City Chiefs LT John Alt. He signed as a three-star tight end out of high school and soon enough, made his way to the offensive line. He specializes in playing on the left side.

Jim Harbaugh’s decision to pick Alt stems from his ability to play at right tackle with some amount of tweaking to his game but his technique at left tackle is flawless. In addition to this, he has gained the reputation of being a highly coachable player.

Joe Alt made 33 starts for Notre Dame and earned a 90.7 grade via Pro Football Focus. Last season, the Fighting Irish’s offensive line setup with Joe Alt on LT made their attack nearly unstoppable. Alt will prove to be a valuable asset to the Los Angeles Chargers. Despite the initial skepticism surrounding his draft pick, Jim Harbaugh understands how adding strong players to overlooked positions such as the O-line can greatly benefit the entire offense.